Trunk.



iiNrr' srars anni rieten PATRICK J. KELLY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNDR T0 P. BECKER & COMPANY, 0Fa

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented lieb. 5, i918..

Application filed May 28, 1915. Serial No. 30,987.

To all fr0/tom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK J; KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of trunks, and has reference more particularly to wardrobe trunks which are usually made up of two sections, a wardrobe section, in which articles of clothing are suspended from garment hangers, for example, and a drawer or drawer section in which there are a number of drawers arranged one above the other, that is to say, when the trunk is standing on its end.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive expedient for strengthening and rigidifying a trunk, for example, the ward robe section of a wardrobe trunk against' its tendency to warp, become strained or distorted or loosened in the joints between its walls because of rough handling or other similar causes. The wardrobe section of a wardrobe trunk being simply an empty boxlike structure like the cover of an ordinary trunk only deeper, is particularly likely to be injured when the trunk is not handled carefully especially as it is not always completely filled with clothing. The rigidifying and reinforcing structure which I devised is, therefore, of particular value in lgiving strength and rigidity to the wardrobe section of a wardrobe trunk although the device might be employed in other situations where similar conditions prevail.

A further object of the invention is to utilize the rigidifying structure, above referred to, for providing a .stop for a loose or movable part or member of the trunk` for example, to so position the rigidifying structure in the wardrobe section of a wardrobe trunk that when the trunk is closed it will prevent the drawers in the drawer section of the trunk from being displaced.

The invention has for further Objects such other new and improved constructions, arrangements and devices relating to trunks as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawings whereini llignre 1 is a view, in perspective, of a wardrobe trunk in its open position.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan taken on line Q-Q of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, partly in perspective and partly in section, of the wardrobe trunk ishown in Fig. 1, the trunk in l? ig. 3 being illustrated as lying on one side with the drawer section uppermost, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a modification.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several figures of the draw-- ing.

Referring iirst to Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, 10 indicates the wardrobe section of a ward robe trunk and 1.1 the drawer section pro vided with drawers 12. The two sections of the trunk are hinged together in any suitable manner, for example, by hinges 13. (lne of the sections, preferably the wardrobe section, is provided with a metallic rim or iange 14C which projects ont beyond the wall of the trunk. This rim or flange fits closely over the edge of the drawer section of the trunk .when the trunk is closed. lVithin the wardrobe section and extending along the edges of the side walls 15 and lower end wall 16 thereof is a rigidifying and reinforcing structure made up preferably of angle iron strips 17, 18 and 19, preferably united at the corners by angle pieces Q0. The upper end wall 21 of the trunk may also, if desired, be provided with a similar angular reinforcing strip 22. When the trunk is closed the reinforcing structure formed by the angle strips 17, 18, 19 and 22 provides a stop for the drawers 12 of the drawer section preventing them from being displaced from their proper positi on even if the trunk be placed on its side, with the drawer section uppermost, as shown in Fig. 3.

In the trunk shown in the drawing the retaining device or frame 23 is provided for keeping the clothing, indicated at 211, in position in the wardrobe section of the trunk. This retaining frame, which, of course, may be constructed in various different ways, has a sliding movement on a.

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pair of square rods arranged at opposite sides of the trunk. The retaining frame is kept closely pressed against the clothing by locking elements 26 slidably mounted on the rods 25. The details of the arrangements for keeping the clothing in position in the wardrobe section are shown and claimed in theY patent to lilli-am V. Schnur No.'

1,122,428, granted December 29, 1914, and need not be further described here.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 23 of this application the rods 25 are secured at their outer. ends to the angular reinforcing structure. For'example, this may be done by means of angular brackets 27 to which the ends ofthe rods are secured and which are riveted to the angle bars 17, 19, as the case may be. vThe'inner ends` of the rods are preferably secured to the' trunk by angular members A28. By firmly anchoring the' outer ends of the rods 25 to a strong and rugged structure' like the angular rigidifying structure 1'?, 18, 19, the danger of the rods becoming loosened is minimized. lt will be understood that the means for retaining the clothing in the wardrobe section forms, in effect, atransverse reinforcement for said section. rlhe eti'ect of this reinforcement is enhanced by having the rods 25 firmly 'united with the reinforcing structure atthe edge of the section. Preferably the angle bars 17, 1S, 19 are secured to the edge of the trunk by the same rivets 29 einployed 'for attaching to' the trunk the metallic rimor flange 14C.

Fig. 4: shows amodication in which the reinforcing structure is made up of angle bars 30 which overlap the edge of the wardrobe section 31. The structure necessarilyy projects inwardly from the wall of the section for a. distance equal to the thickness Copies of this patent may be obtained for of the metal, thus providing a stop for the drawers 32 of the drawer section 33 oi the trunk.

claim:

1. 1n a wardrobe trunk comprising a wardrobe section and a drawer section, the combination of a metallic Hangs on the outside of the wardrobe section into which the drawer section lits when the trunk is closed, and a rigidifying metal element angular in cross section arranged within the wall of said wardrobe section and secured thereto so as to provide a laterally projecting liange near the edge thereof which forms a stop for the drawers of the drawer section so as to hold them in closed position when the trunk is closed.

2. ln a wardrobe trunk comprising a wardrobe section and a drawer section, the combination of a rigidifying metallic structure, angular in cross section, arranged within the edge and secured to the wall of the wardrobe section, a retaining frame for the clothing in the wardrobe section, guide rods for said frame which are secured at their outer ends to said rigidifying structure, and means engaging said rods for holding the retaining frame against the clothing in said wardrobe section.

3. A trunk comprising two sections, one having a hinged relation with the other, one of which is provided with a projecting Vrim into which the other section lits, and a metallic rigidifying structure in said irst named section, angular in cross section, and secured to the edge of the trunk within said projecting rim;

PATRICK J. KELLY. litnesses z R. KUEHN, L. A. FALKENBERG.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

